Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Doctor, ain't there nothing I can take...

Yes, you have to give it back.

Two weeks passed and we cracked open the fermenter to see what golden treasure waited inside. We each took a taste to see how it was progressing and yes, I think it's at the 'not bad' stage. Alec sure seems to think so. We all tried it and it gave us a good idea of where the mead is heading flavor-wise. It shows promise.
I definitely want to brew a melomel next year when peaches are in-season, and I may even try a metheglin in the spring so we have some good spiced mead for the holidays next year. So much fun and easy to do. I'm somewhat disappointed we missed the peach season this year, but it's good to get a fresh batch of basic mead with the guys so they can see how the process starts out. After all, there'll be plenty of time for peaches in the summer.

We got the gang back together after the primary fermentation period had lapsed so everyone could see what the racking process entailed. And basically, if you've ever siphoned gas, you're familiar with what it takes to move your mead from the primary fermenter to the glass carboy it's going to spend the next six months or more in where it will clarify, age and become tasty.
The main reason for this move was to get the mead off the yeast and reduce the amount of sediment present in the container. I've been told that this is best for the flavor of the mead as leaving it on the yeast can cause taste issues to arise later, but I've also heard from folks that have had no issues leaving it in the primary bucket for longer. Ah well, better safe than sorry I say. Especially when we're dealing with a 6-9 month period here.

Well, we racked it, stoppered it and applied another fermentation lock. Put it in the closet next to the DR'12 we're aging and we'll revisit it sometime in the middle of May for bottling unless it needs more time, which could push bottling back to the end of summer or so.
Now the fermenting bucket is empty and we have a second one as well. We also have an empty carboy. I'm thinking it's time to start at least one batch of beer if not a couple different brews. Just need to decide on a recipe and make a trip to the homebrew store for a wort chiller and ingredients.
I'm voting for a Belgian ale, but we'll see what we decide on eventually. Also, with three fermenters available, we may just end up brewing 3 separate batches using different recipes. Good thing we ordered that kegerator...